STALKYARD HURTS Blows the Roof Off Toronto Fringe!

Well, the summer is coming to a close, and that means that our exciting 2015 season is two thirds done. But don’t worry! We still have one more blow out musical this fall to keep you going! I’LL FLY AWAY is the story of a classic country radio show that is struggling to survive as they learn the may have to shutter their doors. It’s gonna be a blast! More on that soon…

But first – we wanted to give you a little FRINGE recap!! Tweed & Company was so incredibly honoured to be a part of the Toronto Fringe Festival this season with our original Canadian Musical STALKYARD HURTS! We had a blast! And we blew the roof off of iconic rock venue Lee’s Palace for 11 nights. With packed houses, and loads of critical acclaim, we are so happy with how the show went, and we thought we’d share a couple of the comments and photos with you!!!

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to see the show, and hopefully we’ll see you this fall in Tweed for I’LL FLY AWAY!!!

The classic rock story of a classic 80s-style rock band, Stalkyard Hurts follows the rise and fall of friendships, romances, shady managers, band mates who spiral into drug abuse, and all the other twists and turns one would expect in the world of rock n’ roll.

Musicals are tough to pull off, with Fringe musicals being the hardest, but I was quickly impressed by both the vocals and live instrumental of the Stalkyard Hurts band. Justin Collette, as writer and composer, does a great job of capturing the classic rock sound in both clever and sometimes soulful ways. Danielle Leger, as leading vocalist Carmen, truly blew me away with her gritty sound. She was like a kooky Janis Joplin, impressively playing up the comedy in her scenes while still maintaining the core sound of the show.

I found the ensemble cast very strong. Granted, Leger’s Carmen and Tricia Black’s Tori (the band’s lovably naive bassist) both stole the show for me.

Director Tim Porter makes some great decisions with the format of the show, allowing the story of the band to unfold with interludes that feel more like a rock concert. There was even an encore at the end.

I think that if you like musicals, rock n’ roll, strong female vocals, live music, hilarity, hijinks and larger than life characters, this show is for you. Looking around at the end of the show, there was not one person who wasn’t tapping their foot or bopping their head. I feel like this one’s going to be a Fringe fave so you might want to grab your tickets in advance.”

“Y’all need to see the show @tweedandcompany is putting on. #Stalkyard Hurts opened at #TOFringe last night and it’s a hilarious VH1 behind the music rock’n’roll concert.”

-Jordan Bell, Famous Actor, via instagram

So thanks again for all of your support in what has so far been an incredible 2015 season. It has been such a joy bringing these fantastic musical to audiences across the province, we can’t wait to get going on the next one! See you at I’LL FLY AWAY, October 21st to 25th at the Marble Arts Centre in Tweed! Tickets here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2156379